She was newly qualified after a “quick induction” and said she felt “overwhelmed” by her workload due to depleted staffing levels when Laura’s case was referred to her in May 2011.

“The most important element in Laura’s case was her wanting to take her own life,” she said.

“She had issued a clear threat to kill herself but also wanted to get better.”

Sonia helped arrange for Laura to stay with an aunt in Doncaster but a few weeks later, Laura called her to ask if she could return to Rhyl for her brother’s birthday, despite previously threatening to kill herself if she was to go home.

“Denbighshire Council hadn’t formally removed Laura (from the family home) so we had no powers to stop her going back,” Sonia added.

“I made it quite clear that I didn’t think it was a good idea.”

"She was making plans and was positive"

But Sonia said Laura’s mood had been “really happy” and that she didn’t feel she was suicidal.

Although the case was closed at this point, Sonia said she maintained a relationship with Laura adding: “She was a different girl to the one I’d seen in May. She was making plans and was positive, she was settled, forward-focused and engaging.”

Asked if anything could have been done differently, Sonia said Laura’s case should have been reopened when Laura returned to Denbighshire.

Supervisor, Colleen Yurtman admitted that there were struggles with the department’s increasing re-referral rate and said there were “lessons to be learned” from Laura’s death.

She said systems have since been tightened in light of the tragedy that has made her “hyper-vigilant.”

The amount of support offered to the teenager has been thrust under the microscope at the inquest held four years after her death.

Bullied

The inquest also heard from Jeremy Roberts, deputy head at Rhyl High who said Laura was given permission to leave school ten minutes early amid concerns from her family that she was being bullied.

But he said in his opinion, they were more like “isolated incidents” as opposed to bullying, and the situation was being monitored by school staff.

It was through the school that Laura was referred to hospital for help with her suicidal thoughts.

“I felt my colleagues handled Laura’s situation exceptionally well throughout her school career,” he said.